Writing a French CV: Format, Phrases and the Photo Question
Un CV français in one page — the exact section order, the action verbs recruiters expect, lettre de motivation basics, and whether to include a photo.
What you'll learn
A French CV is its own genre: one page, precise headings, and conventions recruiters check in seconds. Here’s the template in your head.
📄 One page, five blocks
A French CV is one page and rigidly factual: état civil (name & contact), formation (education, newest first), expérience professionnelle, compétences, langues. No essay-style objective at the top — that persuasion belongs in the lettre de motivation.
🎬 This lesson in one minute
The quick version — the full lesson is below. More shorts →
The skeleton (in this order)
- État civil — name, phone, email, city (no full address needed), LinkedIn.
- Titre — the job you want, bolded: « Développeur web junior ».
- Expérience professionnelle — reverse chronological, each with 2-3 bullet achievements.
- Formation — degrees (le Master, la Licence, le Bac +5…).
- Compétences — languages WITH CEFR levels (français : B2 !), tools.
- Centres d’intérêt — yes, the French expect a hobbies line; keep it specific.
Action verbs that land
Bullets start with verbs in the past: géré (managed), développé, coordonné, augmenté les ventes de 20 %, encadré une équipe de trois. Numbers beat adjectives.
The photo question
Optional and increasingly skipped. If you include one: neutral background, business dress, genuine smile. If in doubt, leave it out — no recruiter rejects a CV for lacking a photo.
La lettre de motivation
Still expected in France. Three paragraphs: vous (why this company), moi (what I bring), nous (what we’d do together). End with the formal formula: « Je vous prie d’agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l’expression de mes salutations distinguées. »
Common mistakes that scream “translated CV”
Recruiters spot an English CV in French clothing in seconds. The classics:
- Calling the document a résumé → in France, un résumé is a summary of a text. The document is un CV, full stop.
- « J’ai géré une équipe » in your bullets → drop the j’ai: Géré une équipe. French CVs are allergic to full sentences.
- Translating a Bachelor’s as le baccalauréat → the Bac is the school-leaving exam. A Bachelor’s is une Licence (Bac+3).
- Capitalising months → French months stay lowercase: janvier 2024, never Janvier.
The follow-up call: a real exchange
— Bonjour, je vous appelle au sujet de ma candidature au poste de chef de projet.
— Oui, vous l’avez envoyée quand ?
— Il y a dix jours. Je voulais savoir si vous aviez besoin d’un complément d’information.
— C’est noté, je transmets votre demande au responsable du recrutement.
Two traps dodged here: your application is une candidature (une application lives on your phone), and the job is un poste — masculine. La poste is where you buy stamps.
The job-hunt words that never appear on the CV itself
The vocabulary around your CV matters as much as the words on it:
- un entretien — an interview; « passer un entretien » means to have one, not to pass it.
- un CDI / un CDD — permanent / fixed-term contract. The CDI is the holy grail of French working life.
- un stage — an internship. Nothing to do with a stage — that’s une scène.
- une candidature spontanée — applying with no advertised opening. Common in France, and recruiters respect the initiative.
- embaucher — to hire: « Nous embauchons ! » is the sign you want in the window.
In real sentences
Read each one aloud, then tap 🔊 and shadow the audio — rhythm first, speed later.
Drill it: tu or vous at work · professional apologies · saying no at work
✍️ Your turn: build the CV line
« work experience » on a French CV = ? (section header)
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Expérience professionnelle.
« skills » = ? (section header)
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Compétences.
How do you state your French level credibly? (one standard)
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With the CEFR scale: « Français : niveau B2 » — every French recruiter reads A1–C2 fluently.
Is the lettre de motivation just a translated cover letter? (structure differs)
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No — it follows the vous–moi–nous pattern: your company (vous), my profile (moi), what we do together (nous), closed with a full formal salutation.
« I hold a degree in… » — the set phrase? (titulaire)
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Je suis titulaire d’un master / d’une licence en…
FAQ
How long should it be?
One page. Two pages only after ~10 years of experience. French recruiters treat concision as a competence.
Do I translate my degrees?
Give the French equivalent + original: « Master (MSc) in Marketing ». The Bac+N system (Bac+3 = Licence, Bac+5 = Master) helps recruiters place you instantly.
What comes after the CV?
The email that carries it — writing professional emails — and the meeting it earns: the French job interview.
Should I put a photo on a French CV?
It remains common in France and no recruiter blinks at one — but it is optional and slowly declining. If you include one, make it a plain professional headshot; if you apply to international companies, leave it off.
How long can it be?
One page while you have under ten years’ experience — French recruiters treat a two-page junior CV as padding. Senior profiles may take two, never more.
Quick practice
Play the Quiztap to start · quick practice from this material
